HILLSBORO Star-Journal

After a routine Hillsboro City Council meeting agenda of budget amendment approvals and resolution adoption on Tuesday, City Administrator Larry Paine shared some interesting news with council members. “It seems that the city electrical truck stolen last June, along with a significant amount of equipment, finally surfaced last week,” Paine said. “An older fella from Coffeyville had used it to drive his ailing wife to Wichita for medical treatment.”

It is not every day that someone of national importance visits the small town of Marion. Dec. 12 was such a day, made special by the visit of American Legion National Vice Commander Glenn Hickman of Ohio. In a room steeped with honor and respect on Marion’s Main Street, American Legion Post 22 members welcomed Hickman with ceremony and order.

For many, the holiday season would not be complete without special candy and sweets to eat. For Betty Dirks of Hillsboro, even better than eating sweet candy brittle is seeing it crack as it quickly cools in the pan. “You have to work very fast to make it spread even when it is time to pour it out,” Dirks said. “It sets up almost instantly and you can’t use tools, that might break the bubbles and you want the bubbles in there.”

MARION — Julie Ann Boydston, 92, passed away Sunday, Dec. 16, 2012, at Parkside Homes in Hillsboro, Kan. She was born July 6, 1920, to Harry and Esther (Jensen) Jean in Black Hawk County, Iowa, and grew up in Waterloo, Iowa. She married Glenn L. Boydston on Dec. 29, 1944, in Topeka. They lived their early married life in Iowa, and later moved to a farm near Valley Falls, Kan. There they raised their two children, Harry and Glenna.

SALINA — Curtis D. Fulton of Salina passed away Dec. 12, 2012, at the age of 90. Curtis was born in Talmage, Kan., to Harry and Elizabeth Fulton on Dec. 26, 1921. He farmed with his father until he enlisted in the Naval Air Corps in 1942. After his honorable discharge in 1943, he continued to farm until 1966, when he entered the ministry of the United Methodist Church.

Victor C. Thompson, 92, died Dec. 13, 2012, at Schowalter Villa, Hesston. He was born May 6, 1920, to Clarence and Myrtle Myers Thompson in Ozawkie.

Lawrence A. Weber, 76, of Herington, died Saturday at his residence. He was born March 27, 1936, at Hope to Arthur “Jack” and Viola (Gruber) Weber.

Harry D. Wedel, 87, of Durham died Monday. He was born Feb. 14, 1925, to C.C. and Helen (Ratzloff) Wedel in rural Moundridge. He was a farmer and road maintenance worker. He married Lela Jantz on Dec. 21, 1947, in Livingston, Calif.

Marion County Commission voted Monday to refund part of a fee the City of Marion had paid for a permit application. County Planning and Zoning Director Richards told the commission she had received a letter from the City of Marion withdrawing an application for a conditional use permit and requesting a refund of any “unused” portion of the $200 application fee.

The final week of nominations for the newspaper’s donation of more than $1,000 for Christmas drew another seven nominations. A common theme among the nominations for individuals and families, all through the weeks, has been people who have remained strong through difficult times. Flo Rahn of rural Hillsboro nominated a single father of three children. “Raising them as a single parent with a full-time job is challenging,” Rahn wrote.

BALANCING ACT:

GUEST COMMENTARY:

The next Men’s Encounter experience will be Jan. 31 to Feb. 2 at Prairie Star Ranch, Williamsburg. Marion is one of three locations from which men will travel to the event. “Men’s Encounter is a growing movement that is blessing our area,” Brendan Kraus of Marion said. “It is a weekend for men that allows them to step out of the stress of their daily lives and refocus themselves on God and on their families. It is led by a growing group of local men who were touched by God’s grace at their own Encounter and are inspired to help lead other men closer to God.”

Grant opportunities are available in 2013 to Kansas nonprofits from Kansas Humanities Council. The council supports projects that use humanities to connect people with ideas, places, and history. Eligible projects include, but are not limited to, museum exhibitions and short films, oral history, photograph digitization, and research projects. Deadlines are Feb. 27, May 29, and Sept. 25. Grant guidelines are available at www.kansashumanities.org.

The mission of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency is to serve and help ensure the well-being of the nation’s farmers and ranchers who are responsible for making the agricultural sector of the U.S. economy successful and productive. FSA farm loan programs are a vital source of credit to family farm operations by offering competitive, yet reasonable, financing rates and terms. During this year, the farm loan branch of Kansas FSA approved 1,017 operating, ownership, and emergency-type loans for a disbursement of over $102 million.

The American Legion Post 22 in Marion is no different than any other Legion Post in the state of Kansas or the United States in that members desire to offer support to fellow veterans. Mary Olson’s husband, Warren E. Olson, a World War II veteran, needed legion assistance when he ran into trouble paying for his medication.

Grant Overstake, a former editor of the Hillsboro Star Journal, has published a book, “Maggie Vaults Over the Moon.” Overstake drew upon his coverage of sporting events and country life to create this teen sports novel about life on a Kansas family farm.

Neal Kaiser of Lehigh and a junior at Kansas State University won high individual honors at the Chicago CME Group Collegiate Crops contest in November. He is part of the Kansas State University crops judging team that recently captured the national title for the fourth consecutive year. To win the 2012 national title, the team won both the Kansas City Board of Trade and the Chicago contests. Participants identified 200 different plant or seed samples of crops and weeds, graded eight different grain samples according to federal standards, and analyzed 10 seed samples for contaminants.

ANNIVERSARY:

CORRESPONDENTS:

The Goessel High School band and choir will present a Christmas Concert at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Goessel High School Auditorium. The band performance, directed by Rob Tierney, will include Alfred Reed’s arrangement of “Greensleeves” and “Mary’s Boy Child” arranged by Sparke.

The Marion High School cheerleaders, with help from donors, are organizing a “green-out” for the basketball games Friday between Marion and Hillsboro. The event is in memory of the victims of Friday’s school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. Sandy Hook’s school colors are green and white.

The Technology Excellence in Education Network will hold its regular meeting at 5 p.m. today. It will be a phone conference with the call originating from the Hillsboro 410 USD district office at 416 S. Date St., Hillsboro.

Lyons successfully played an ugly game against the Hillsboro High School girls’ basketball team Friday in Lyons, a 57-46 Hillsboro victory. “It was the kind of game they were hoping for,” Hillsboro head coach Nathan Hiebert said.

A coach can emphasize plays in practice until his face turns purple; it takes a player committing to the game plan to see the results on the court. Hillsboro High School forward Harry Faber listened to head coach Darrell Knoll this past week in practice. With two games against Lyons in as many weeks, a change in Faber’s play had the most significant impact in the Trojans’ 41-29 victory Friday in Lyons.

The Hillsboro High School wrestling team had great individual performances, albeit in losing team efforts against Riley County, 48-24; Douglass, 42-30; Wellington, 60-18; Republic County, 30-12; and Chaparall, 30-18 in the Marion County Dual Tournament on Friday. Freshman Austin Cross was undefeated in five matches in the 145-pound weight class.

The Goessel High School girls’ basketball team won their first Wheat State League game of the season, 45-24, on Friday at Wakefield. GHS forward Alex Hiebert scored first with an inside move, Jessica Harvey got a steal and layup, and the Alex and Page Hiebert both hit from 10 feet to create an 8-0 lead for the Bluebirds. By the end of the quarter, Wakefield had narrowed the gap, but the Bluebirds led 12-5.

Davis Cook, 6-foot-4 senior for the Goessel High School boys’ basketball team, made his presence felt on Friday at Wakefield. Goessel’s center dropped in 18 points to go along with 6 blocks and 9 rebounds to help the Bluebirds to a 44-27 win. Nic Buller started the game with three drives, scoring the first 5 Bluebird points. Goessel led 10-9 at the end of the first quarter.

After a routine Hillsboro City Council meeting agenda of budget amendment approvals and resolution adoption on Tuesday, City Administrator Larry Paine shared some interesting news with council members. “It seems that the city electrical truck stolen last June, along with a significant amount of equipment, finally surfaced last week,” Paine said. “An older fella from Coffeyville had used it to drive his ailing wife to Wichita for medical treatment.”

It is not every day that someone of national importance visits the small town of Marion. Dec. 12 was such a day, made special by the visit of American Legion National Vice Commander Glenn Hickman of Ohio. In a room steeped with honor and respect on Marion’s Main Street, American Legion Post 22 members welcomed Hickman with ceremony and order.

For many, the holiday season would not be complete without special candy and sweets to eat. For Betty Dirks of Hillsboro, even better than eating sweet candy brittle is seeing it crack as it quickly cools in the pan. “You have to work very fast to make it spread even when it is time to pour it out,” Dirks said. “It sets up almost instantly and you can’t use tools, that might break the bubbles and you want the bubbles in there.”

MARION — Julie Ann Boydston, 92, passed away Sunday, Dec. 16, 2012, at Parkside Homes in Hillsboro, Kan. She was born July 6, 1920, to Harry and Esther (Jensen) Jean in Black Hawk County, Iowa, and grew up in Waterloo, Iowa. She married Glenn L. Boydston on Dec. 29, 1944, in Topeka. They lived their early married life in Iowa, and later moved to a farm near Valley Falls, Kan. There they raised their two children, Harry and Glenna.

SALINA — Curtis D. Fulton of Salina passed away Dec. 12, 2012, at the age of 90. Curtis was born in Talmage, Kan., to Harry and Elizabeth Fulton on Dec. 26, 1921. He farmed with his father until he enlisted in the Naval Air Corps in 1942. After his honorable discharge in 1943, he continued to farm until 1966, when he entered the ministry of the United Methodist Church.

Victor C. Thompson, 92, died Dec. 13, 2012, at Schowalter Villa, Hesston. He was born May 6, 1920, to Clarence and Myrtle Myers Thompson in Ozawkie.

Lawrence A. Weber, 76, of Herington, died Saturday at his residence. He was born March 27, 1936, at Hope to Arthur “Jack” and Viola (Gruber) Weber.

Harry D. Wedel, 87, of Durham died Monday. He was born Feb. 14, 1925, to C.C. and Helen (Ratzloff) Wedel in rural Moundridge. He was a farmer and road maintenance worker. He married Lela Jantz on Dec. 21, 1947, in Livingston, Calif.

Marion County Commission voted Monday to refund part of a fee the City of Marion had paid for a permit application. County Planning and Zoning Director Richards told the commission she had received a letter from the City of Marion withdrawing an application for a conditional use permit and requesting a refund of any “unused” portion of the $200 application fee.

The final week of nominations for the newspaper’s donation of more than $1,000 for Christmas drew another seven nominations. A common theme among the nominations for individuals and families, all through the weeks, has been people who have remained strong through difficult times. Flo Rahn of rural Hillsboro nominated a single father of three children. “Raising them as a single parent with a full-time job is challenging,” Rahn wrote.

BALANCING ACT:

GUEST COMMENTARY:

The next Men’s Encounter experience will be Jan. 31 to Feb. 2 at Prairie Star Ranch, Williamsburg. Marion is one of three locations from which men will travel to the event. “Men’s Encounter is a growing movement that is blessing our area,” Brendan Kraus of Marion said. “It is a weekend for men that allows them to step out of the stress of their daily lives and refocus themselves on God and on their families. It is led by a growing group of local men who were touched by God’s grace at their own Encounter and are inspired to help lead other men closer to God.”

Grant opportunities are available in 2013 to Kansas nonprofits from Kansas Humanities Council. The council supports projects that use humanities to connect people with ideas, places, and history. Eligible projects include, but are not limited to, museum exhibitions and short films, oral history, photograph digitization, and research projects. Deadlines are Feb. 27, May 29, and Sept. 25. Grant guidelines are available at www.kansashumanities.org.

The mission of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency is to serve and help ensure the well-being of the nation’s farmers and ranchers who are responsible for making the agricultural sector of the U.S. economy successful and productive. FSA farm loan programs are a vital source of credit to family farm operations by offering competitive, yet reasonable, financing rates and terms. During this year, the farm loan branch of Kansas FSA approved 1,017 operating, ownership, and emergency-type loans for a disbursement of over $102 million.

The American Legion Post 22 in Marion is no different than any other Legion Post in the state of Kansas or the United States in that members desire to offer support to fellow veterans. Mary Olson’s husband, Warren E. Olson, a World War II veteran, needed legion assistance when he ran into trouble paying for his medication.

Grant Overstake, a former editor of the Hillsboro Star Journal, has published a book, “Maggie Vaults Over the Moon.” Overstake drew upon his coverage of sporting events and country life to create this teen sports novel about life on a Kansas family farm.

Neal Kaiser of Lehigh and a junior at Kansas State University won high individual honors at the Chicago CME Group Collegiate Crops contest in November. He is part of the Kansas State University crops judging team that recently captured the national title for the fourth consecutive year. To win the 2012 national title, the team won both the Kansas City Board of Trade and the Chicago contests. Participants identified 200 different plant or seed samples of crops and weeds, graded eight different grain samples according to federal standards, and analyzed 10 seed samples for contaminants.

ANNIVERSARY:

CORRESPONDENTS:

The Goessel High School band and choir will present a Christmas Concert at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Goessel High School Auditorium. The band performance, directed by Rob Tierney, will include Alfred Reed’s arrangement of “Greensleeves” and “Mary’s Boy Child” arranged by Sparke.

The Marion High School cheerleaders, with help from donors, are organizing a “green-out” for the basketball games Friday between Marion and Hillsboro. The event is in memory of the victims of Friday’s school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. Sandy Hook’s school colors are green and white.

The Technology Excellence in Education Network will hold its regular meeting at 5 p.m. today. It will be a phone conference with the call originating from the Hillsboro 410 USD district office at 416 S. Date St., Hillsboro.

Lyons successfully played an ugly game against the Hillsboro High School girls’ basketball team Friday in Lyons, a 57-46 Hillsboro victory. “It was the kind of game they were hoping for,” Hillsboro head coach Nathan Hiebert said.

A coach can emphasize plays in practice until his face turns purple; it takes a player committing to the game plan to see the results on the court. Hillsboro High School forward Harry Faber listened to head coach Darrell Knoll this past week in practice. With two games against Lyons in as many weeks, a change in Faber’s play had the most significant impact in the Trojans’ 41-29 victory Friday in Lyons.

The Hillsboro High School wrestling team had great individual performances, albeit in losing team efforts against Riley County, 48-24; Douglass, 42-30; Wellington, 60-18; Republic County, 30-12; and Chaparall, 30-18 in the Marion County Dual Tournament on Friday. Freshman Austin Cross was undefeated in five matches in the 145-pound weight class.

The Goessel High School girls’ basketball team won their first Wheat State League game of the season, 45-24, on Friday at Wakefield. GHS forward Alex Hiebert scored first with an inside move, Jessica Harvey got a steal and layup, and the Alex and Page Hiebert both hit from 10 feet to create an 8-0 lead for the Bluebirds. By the end of the quarter, Wakefield had narrowed the gap, but the Bluebirds led 12-5.

Davis Cook, 6-foot-4 senior for the Goessel High School boys’ basketball team, made his presence felt on Friday at Wakefield. Goessel’s center dropped in 18 points to go along with 6 blocks and 9 rebounds to help the Bluebirds to a 44-27 win. Nic Buller started the game with three drives, scoring the first 5 Bluebird points. Goessel led 10-9 at the end of the first quarter.